Transitioning
by Ultrawoman
Summary: When it comes to choosing a travel buddy for Rome, there is one obvious choice for P.J. My version of the end of Season 1 & beginning of Season 2. PJ/Brando. Will be 5 parts in total.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I seem to have been writing stuff and not posting it, which is weird. Not that I expect anyone to be reading in this section anyway but hey, may as well post it anyway since it's already written, right? ;)**

_**Disclaimer: My Boys and all its characters belong to Betsy Thomas, TBSs, and probably some other people, none of which are me.**_

Chapter 1

P.J. didn't want to feel this way. She was fine before, when she had consulted her soul in a cool quiet hour and decided that going to Italy alone was the best plan. Stephanie had made her reconsider, and so P.J. had started over with her decision making.

Evan was so sweet, but his swamped comment still stung and seemed wrong to her. Thorne had made her second best to his fiancée and was only back now because that relationship hadn't worked out. Matt was nice enough but she wasn't entirely comfortable enough to be taking him to the most romantic country in the world. That just left her friends.

After her disturbing dream, P.J. already knew she could take neither Mike nor Kenny on her trip, and that left only two. She made her choice, with logic and gut feeling both, and she thought it was the right one, she really did. The bummer was waiting at the gate for what felt like forever, only for the guy to be a no show.

Now P.J. was standing in the aisle, failing miserably to get her bag into the overhead compartment, and ranting at Steph for making her think twice about her original decision to go to Italy alone. She didn't want to feel this way. It hurt, way more than she ever thought it could. It was a nasty surprise to realise it, and she was close to tears of frustration and anger when the air hostess approached her.

"Penelope Franklin? Please come this way," she said with a smile that P.J. couldn't understand. "The gentleman has upgraded your ticket to first class."

Bemused would be a good word for the look on P.J.'s face in that moment, though if she had spared a glance at her friend she would've seen how much more baffled Steph was right now. Nevertheless, P.J. followed on through the curtain and beyond, stunned but happily so as she suddenly looked down upon the man she had been waiting for too long.

"You made it," she smiled widely, hardly aware of one helpful hostess taking her bag or another handing her champagne.

"Peej, of course," Brendan rolled his eyes as he gestured for her to sit down beside him. "Check this out, Bobby totally gave us a bunch of his frequent flyer miles so we could get upgraded seats. I mean, how cool is that?"

"It's very cool," P.J. agreed, still grinning. "I mean, he's a good guy, but... you came, that's the part I'm psyched about," she told her best friend in the world.

"C'mon, P.J. It's you that was asking, of course I was gonna come," he told her with a smile of his own that grew wider a second later. "Besides, free trip to Italy. Who says no to that?" he winked, faking injury when she subsequently socked him in the shoulder for being that way, even in partial jest.

P.J. couldn't believe this was happening. She had to be crazy for ever considering it but right now she couldn't think of a person she would rather be going to Italy with than Brendan Dorff. He was her best friend, the very best, though she would never say such a thing in front of Stephanie. It was wrong to think of one more highly than the other, she'd known Steph longer after all, but Brendan was different. He got her, in a way nobody else ever had. P.J. loved that about him, and opened her mouth to say so. She changed her mind fast as Stephanie quite literally crashed the conversation.

"Oh my God!" she gasped, just a soon as she got the hostess off her back. "Brendan?"

"Hey, Steph," he gave a little wave. "You okay?"

"Well, this makes so much sense," she said with a knowing look that drifted from Brendan to P.J. "Soooo much sense," she repeated, even as her friend glanced away.

The air hostess had Stephanie out of there before anything else could be said and P.J. sunk back into her luxury seating. This was crazy, absolutely crazy. Steph thought she had brought Brendan on this trip in a way she never even thought about. Well, not that she _never_ thought about because Brando was hot, no doubt, and there had been a time... more than one time, when something almost kind of happened. Looking sideways at him now, P.J. couldn't help the burst of nervous laughter that escaped her lips.

"I'm sorry," she apologised immediately. "Steph just expected me to pick one of the other guys, y'know, that I was kind of dating? But I mean this makes way more sense, right?"

"Sure. I mean, yeah. We proved before what great travel buddies we are," Brando shrugged easily, downing his complimentary champagne in one go and then making a face because they both knew he would prefer a beer. "Besides, if you got to Italy with a guy you're into and then it doesn't work out, trip wrecked. You go with me, we already know where we stand with each other, so nothing awkward is gonna happen, right?"

P.J. opened her mouth and closed it again. She gave his words some consideration and then forced a smile when she finally answered him.

"Sure, right," she agreed with a single nod. "Nothing awkward with us."

She watched Brendan settle back into his seat, pushing it back to the reclined position and closing his eyes. There was no reason on Earth why they should be awkward around each other. They were best friends, they lived together a not small part of the time, and they knew each other inside out. Maybe that was the problem, but P.J. doubted it. No, her real problem was the realisation that Steph's pointed look was just that, pointed. She was right to think this made sense, that there was much more to P.J.'s decision to bring Brando on this trip than just wanting a travel buddy she could trust.

Her possible dates had been easily dismissed until the final choice came down to Brendan or Bobby. She had gotten close to both of them in a romantic way at one time or other. She and Bobby made out the first night they hung out together, and then spent one night in a hotel having sex a few months later, but that was all. A heated embrace and one quick tumble, it wasn't much, and their friendship had been that much better since she stopped trying to get his attention. Bringing him to Italy felt like it was just going to confuse things more, sending mixed messages that P.J. didn't want to be guilty of. Brando was her easy option, someone to fall back on that she could trust to understand that this was just a buddy deal, and not a move she was making on him. At least, she thought so, and he was proving her right so far.

It didn't matter that she and Brendan had made out in college, or again as recently as six short months ago. They had vowed never to speak of it again and they'd both moved on. They dated other people, they fell back into the usual pattern, the normal routine, and yet... it didn't feel the same.

There were times when Brendan looked at her a certain way, when he paid her a compliment on how she looked before a date, there was a feeling inside of P.J. that she just couldn't control. That weird flippy feeling that was probably what most people would describe as their heart skipping a beat or similar. P.J. wasn't sure that was quite accurate, but it was there, and it was way more often than she was comfortable with. She told herself she was crazy, that this was Brendan, her BFF, the guy she depended upon almost as much as she depended upon her brother, maybe more so sometimes. If she dated him, if they went further than a mistimed ill-advised kiss, the very idea sent a shudder through her as she stared at him.

"Peej?" he said, opening one eye to peer at her. "Y'know it's a little weird that you're watching me sleep, right?" he smirked.

"I wasn't," she scoffed. "Watching you sleep, that would be... weird," she muttered, discarding her glass and copying his example of reclining in her seat.

Sleep would be good, P.J. decided, as she settled down and closed her eyes. Still, just before she let herself completely relax she spared one last glance for her best friend. The smile that came over her face was uncontrollable.

* * *

"Brando is missing."

Kenny looked so panicked as he came barrelling into Crowley's it was almost funny, which would explain why Mike laughed at him. Of course, his friend did not understand what was at all amusing about a missing buddy.

"Kenny, relax," Bobby urged him, taking a swig of his beer. "Brando isn't missing, he's on a plane, with P.J."

"Really?" Kenny checked, looking even more bemused as he sat down at the end of the table. "Wow. Of all the choices, I did not see that coming."

"I did," said Andy with a knowing look, swirling his expensive whiskey in its glass. "C'mon, guys. My sister and the D.J.? It's like kismet or something," he said off the confused looks he was getting from his friends.

"Wait a sec, did you just say they were kissing or did you ask us to kiss you?" asked Mike, as baffled as he ever was by almost everything ever.

"_Kismet_," Bobby explained, going so far as to then spell it out to the guy across the table. "It means they're destined to be together. You really think so, Andy?" he asked then, switching his attention back to P.J.'s brother.

"Meh, I don't know for sure, but those two have always been close. Very close," he considered. "I mean, guys have come and gone from my kid sister's life, a _lot_ of guys, but Brendan has always been there. I almost don't remember a time when he wasn't at every family occasion," he frowned as he thought on it some more, contemplating his whiskey with a genuinely concerned expression. "Y'know there are times I think my Dad actually prefers Brendan to me?"

"That's crazy!" Kenny all but exploded. "P.J. and Brando are best friends, but that's all."

"You're forgetting the college make out they told us about last year!" said Mike, pointing a finger at Kenny so suddenly he nearly stuck him in the eye. "I know they said they didn't _boink_, but hey, who's really to say?"

"So? P.J. also made out with Bobby. That stuff just happens with friends sometimes," Kenny shrugged, until everyone around the table was suddenly staring at him with wide eyes. "Male/female friends," he clarified.

"I need another drink," said Andy, shaking his head as he went to get a refill.

"I never made out with P.J." considered Mike thoughtfully. "I mean, I know she probably totally wishes I would, but I couldn't break the kid's heart."

"Me either," Kenny agreed, even as Bobby hid his smile in his glass.

There was no way he was about to kiss and tell, revealing that he and P.J. had in fact 'boinked' that one time, as Mike would put it. What may or may not have happened between P.J. and Brendan in the past was none of their business. What happened in their present or future really wasn't either. Sure, there was a time when Bobby thought P.J. and himself could make a couple, but that had long since passed. It never worked out any time they tried, and honestly, he had decided a while ago that maybe it wasn't worth the effort. He noticed how close P.J. and Brendan were from Day One, but she always passed it off as them being best friends and Bobby believed that was what she thought. Of course, the more time he spent hanging out with this group, the more he realised even P.J. was wrong in her assessment of the situation. She favoured Brando, always and in everything, even over her brother sometimes. She trusted his opinion and advice more than anyone else's, and she was the most freaked out and worried when he went through his douchebag phase.

In the same way, P.J. was the only one to get through to Brando at the intervention, the first one he hugged, the only one he would really talk to in a crisis. Plus, whilst they all appreciated how good P.J. could look in date wear, Brando's eyes always lit up the brightest in those moments, and then dropped to the table a second later. He didn't want to watch his girl go out on a date with another man, that much was clear to an outsider like Bobby, even if the guy himself and his closest friends didn't see it.

"Here's to P.J. and Brendan, and a good vacation in Italy," he said, cutting through Mike and Kenny's usual squabbling just as Andy returned to the table.

The clink of four glasses sealed the toast, and conversation moved on to other things for now. Seemed they were a group of just four for the next few days - better get used to it.

_To Be Continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 2

"So after you called, I had to clear things up at work and get back to the apartment to pack. Bobby was pretty much on the doorstep when I arrived, totally weird coincidence," explained Brando, in the back of the cab on the way to the hotel. "Apparently he was coming over to tell you he had the frequent flyer miles and ask if you wanted to used them. I kinda felt bad telling him you asked me to go with, but honestly? I seriously don't think he was angling for the invitation, he was just being a good friend. Well, he must've been 'cause he gave me the same gift," he grinned.

"That he did," P.J. agreed, trying to concentrate on the beautiful view going past her window, and pretty much anything but Brendan right now.

She had slept on the plane but in no way felt rested. Just as soon as she drifted off, her subconscious threw up a bunch of memories both long past and more recent. P.J. saw herself and Brendan, from way back in college up the present day. It was like their own personal montage of every special moment, and a few her mind created all on its own. Kisses that never happened, others that went way further than actually occurred at the time. P.J. had woken up flushed and confused, especially when she opened her eyes to the sight of the literal man of her dreams leaning over her, telling her she must've been having a nightmare given the noises she'd been making. If only he knew!

Now Brendan was alternating between singing the praises of Bobby, and getting giddy over the fun they were going to have in Italy these two weeks. Through all this, the only thing P.J. could think of were those kisses, both real and imagined. God, she wanted to kiss him right now, and couldn't imagine that feeling was going anywhere fast in one of the most romantic countries in the entire world. She was pretty much doomed, and that feeling of horror only grew stronger when the cab pulled up outside the hotel at which she had made her reservation.

"Oh my God," she gasped audibly as they got out of the car and Brendan moved around back to help grab the luggage.

"Wow, Peej, good choice on the hotel," her friend shot her a grin. "This place looks great."

"Uh, yeah," she smiled back just as widely though it didn't come easy.

P.J. had only made the hotel booking last week, since she hadn't been sure for quite a while if she would even be making this trip. Then had come the complication of who to bring, and knowing she couldn't just leave things to chance, she called her first choice of hotel and booked a room suitable for herself and whatever lucky guy would be her date. Yes, she had booked a double room, with a double bed in it, and now she was here with Brendan.

"Hey, er, Bren? There's something we need to talk about," she tried to tell him, grabbing the two bags he held out to her.

"Sure thing, Peej, but can we do it after we dump the luggage?" he asked her, headed up to the hotel doors. "I'm trying to be a gentleman here, but dude, my arms are gonna break if we hang around too long."

P.J. realised he had both their cases in his hands, leaving just the smaller bags for her to bring herself. He was such a good guy, the best friend she ever had. There was no way she could screw up this relationship by turning it into something romantic or sexual. She would have to be crazy to do such a thing, even if she did really, _really_ want to right now.

"Hey, er... buenos noches?" Brando tried as he reached the front desk.

P.J. bit her lip and literally face palmed the moment she had dropped the bags to the floor.

"That's good night... and Spanish," she explained to him in a low voice, before looking towards the guy behind the reception desk. "You speak English, right?" she checked, so glad to see Roberto, as his name tag proclaimed, nod his head. "Okay, I have a room reserved. The name is Penelope Franklin."

Roberto checked his computer system, and P.J. looked nervously across at Brendan. She honestly wasn't sure whether to tell him she had only booked one room or not. Maybe he never expected to share with her at all. Maybe Brando planned to book his own room now that they were here.

"Miss Franklin, your key card," said Roberto, handing over said item with a flourish. "I 'ope you both enjoy your stay," he smiled in such a way that even Brendan looked like he might blush.

"Thanks, man," he said anyway, ushering P.J. towards the bank of elevators to their left.

She hardly knew what to say as she watched him push the call button and they stood there waiting, waiting, waiting.

"Brando, you know I only booked one room, right?" she asked him out-right.

"Well, yeah, of course," he agreed. "But we're sharing, right?" he checked, seemingly confused by the concept of anything else happening.

Before P.J. could answer the elevator arrived and Brendan went in. She had no real choice but to follow, but any kind of conversation was impossible as they crushed in with several other hotel patrons. They were outside the room, and P.J. was running the key card through the lock before either spoke again.

"I really appreciate this, Peej," said Brendan as the door swung open. "I mean, with things getting bad at the radio station, there's no way I could afford a vacation like this, but with you already paying for the flight and the room, I..."

His sentence came to an abrupt halt as he walked further into the room and got a good look at the furnishings. There was only one bed. One double bed for the two of them.

"I tried to tell you," said P.J. awkwardly as he looked back at her. "The way Steph was talking about us having boyfriends by now, I... I booked a double room," she shrugged, dropping her bags onto the carpet and closing the door.

"Right. Of course," Brendan nodded, though he couldn't really look at her.

This was what a person might call uncharted territory. He and P.J. had been best friends a long time now. They knew each others families, lived in the same apartment most of the time, and trusted each other completely. Nobody knew Brendan like P.J. did, and he'd like to think the reverse was true. Still, when it came to intimacy in a physical sense, this might just be a leap too far.

They were comfortable with each other. Comfortable enough to be squeezed close on the couch or in the back of a car, to share an apartment, even a room. Though it hadn't been deliberate, they'd seen each other naked, such was the way of things when people shared a home and weren't always great about knocking on closed doors. Putting their arm around each other, hugging and being close, it was no big deal really. They'd even crossed the line and gone as far as some pretty heavy making out twice now, once in college and once not so long ago when they recalled the old days. That didn't change the fact that sleeping in the same bed, just the idea of it, felt very strange. Almost too strange.

"Y'know, I'm pretty sure I could find enough cash for my own room," said Brendan, reaching to pick up the bags he had put down on the bed all of a minute before.

"No, don't be dumb," said P.J. reaching to push his arms back down, wishing the very next moment she had not touched him somehow. "I mean, we're grown ups, right? We can share a bed without it being weird!"

Brendan wasn't so sure he had an answer to that, especially whilst P.J.'s hands were still at his wrists. Most of the time he put it out of his head, the fact that P.J. was a woman, and not just that but a very hot woman that he loved like no other. She would easily admit to loving him too and had so many times over the years. They were best friends, of course there was love there, but not always the way he wanted. Going down that road never seemed to end well with the two of them. Now here they were in the most romantic of places, and P.J. was asking him to share a bed with her in a totally platonic best friend kind of a way. Yeah, Brendan was in some kind of hell.

* * *

The moment Teri walked away, Kenny hit Mike upside his head.

"Hey!" he complained too loudly. "What was that for?"

"You don't hit on the waitress," his fried told him crossly. "She's _our_ waitress in _our_ hang. You don't do that. Ever!"

"Seriously, Mike, that's not smart," Bobby agreed heartily. "And where did you even get that accent? That was just scary," he shuddered even thinking about it.

"What? I can't pass for Texan?" asked Mike with a smirk and the self-same accent he just used on Teri, the attractive waitress who was grinning at him from across the bar.

"Trust me, Mike, that is a road best left untravelled," said Andy, nodding sagely.

All eyes were on the lawyer as he sipped at his scotch. None of them could understand how he would know such a thing. Of course, the bigger question was still why Mike would wanna 'crap in his own backyard' as the saying went. Dating Teri was going to lead to absolutely no good, not least because she was bound to find out rather quickly that Mike was not the Southern country boy that he seemed. He never could hold that accent for more than five or ten minutes at a time, Kenny knew that much.

"I miss P.J. and Brendan," he sighed. "If they were here, P.J. would stop Mike from messing with the waitress and Brando... well, I just miss his smile."

Bobby looked across at his friend with a frown and decided not to ask for any elaboration. He kind of missed P.J. and Brando himself, but only because they were such good company. These guys were fun too, but tended to go a little crazy or get too far out of line without the others to balance them out. Bobby wondered vaguely if the pair were having fun in Italy. Of course, they hadn't been there more than a few hours yet, and were probably too jet-lagged to be doing anything but sleeping...

* * *

P.J. pulled away from Brendan, gasping in much needed air. This was crazy. One minute they'd been standing there talking about how they could surely share a bed without anything wrong happening. The next he was asking her why it'd be so wrong, and then she was in his arms and the kissing had started.

The last time this happened in her apartment, P.J. had been saved by the bell as the phone rang and Steph called for her help. Here there was no-one to walk in and spoil anything, nothing to prevent what was happening between her and Brendan for the third time in their lives. She wondered if that was a good or a bad thing really.

"What are we doing?" she asked, highly aware of the fact they had somehow ended up sitting on the bed together during their enthusiastic kissing.

"I don't know," he admitted, the hand that had been in her hair sliding down to her face. "Peej, you know I always had a crush on you from the start. In college, I told you how it was. I just got scared and weirded out by us being more than friends. Then last year..."

"Oh, Bren, neither of us handled that trip down memory lane very well," P.J. confessed, leaning into his touch. "I always regretted that, I mean, I really did," she admitted then.

"Me too," he nodded, leaning in closer until their lips met again.

This felt good. Ridiculously good, and that was why P.J. didn't want it to end. There ought to be a weirdness factor, there was in some small way. This was Brendan after all, her best friend, and he was kissing her with the same passion she knew he had turned onto a hundred other girls before, in her apartment no less! Somehow it didn't matter, because now she was on the receiving end of his kiss, his touch, and it felt amazing. She remembered their college days, the awkwardness there had been even in their drunken state. They were young and inexperienced then, but not anymore. She knew what she wanted and how to get it, and so did Brendan apparently as one hand slid up under her top. P.J. had a feeling she ought to stop this before it went much further, but her brain was fast forgetting why that was. This was like her dream on the plane, only all the better for being real. Neither of them were dating anyone right now, and deep down inside she had always known that Brando was her guy, above all others she had ever dated or known.

Truth be told, Brendan himself had been waiting for this day way too long. What he said before about having a crush on P.J. from Day One, that was the God's honest truth. She was amazing. P.J. was into almost everything Brando liked, able to hold her beer, she was one of the guys. At the same time she was gorgeous like a woman should be. She had a sensitive side that almost nobody saw but he knew very well was there. P.J. had this great personality and a killer sense of humour. She might not be perfect, but she was perfect for him, and on some level he'd known it all this time, but never been quite brave enough to say so. Now Brendan was showing her exactly how he felt and she was responding pretty favourably.

Their friendship, they were both aware of it and how this could destroy the extra special bond they'd had all this time. On the other hand, friends to lovers was the best thing ever, if the songs and movies were to be believed. Right now it felt good, so very good as they kicked off their shoes and she started to ease his T-shirt up over his head...

"P.J.!" Stephanie's voice was overly loud though the door she was rapping on like her life depended on it. "C'mon, please, open the door!"

"Oh my God," P.J. gasped, practically leaping out of Brendan's arms and rushing away.

The man himself had barely put his clothes and hair straight or got his bearings when Steph came rushing in. She was yelling about Lance, tear tracks clear on her face. There had been a fight, that much was clear, and Steph needed comfort and a place to stay. Brendan looked at P.J. and she looked right back over her best girlfriend's head. Was fate trying to tell them something here?

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 3

P.J. was not having a good time. Well, that wasn't strictly true. Italy was beautiful, seeing the sights was awesome, and spending time with Steph and Brando was never a hardship. Still, this wasn't quite how she had been expecting to spend her vacation, the three of them together all the time.

P.J. hadn't been alone with Brendan at all since Stephanie came busting into the hotel room like a whirlwind of tears and indignation. Apparently Lance was not the guy she thought he was. Cheap and disgusting had described both the motel he wanted them to stay in, as well as the man himself when Steph got into full flow. Brendan had shown sympathy, but then made a sharp exit, saying he should get to his own room already. P.J. was too stunned to react and not willing to say anything in the circumstances. When Steph asked to stay in P.J.'s room with her, she just couldn't let her best girlfriend down.

From that first night on, the threesome had done everything together. It was as if the kissing P.J. and Brendan had enjoyed never happened at all. At least she assumed he enjoyed it, because she sure had. It hadn't been her original idea when inviting him to Italy, well, not entirely anyway, Maybe way down deep inside she had a thought or two about it, but that was all. Now it seemed they were destined to be playing at all BFFs together until they got home, and no doubt things would go back to normal. P.J. couldn't help but think how that would really suck after everything that _almost_ happened.

This particular evening they had ended up back at the hotel, eating in the restaurant there. Somehow they had gotten through the better part of threes bottle of red wine, though P.J. hadn't really noticed until the bill came. Steph had slipped off to the bathroom, wobbling all the way and her friend stared at the glasses on the table.

"Pretty sure I only drank two maybe three glasses of wine," she said, looking at Brendan.

"That was my third too," he admitted as he gulped down the last of his drink and set the glass on the table.

"Ooh, Stephanie is going to regret that in the morning," P.J. shook her head, as she dealt with the cheque.

It was only after when she looked over at Brendan that she realised he was already staring at her. This was the first time they had been alone for more than a minute since the first night and their serious make out session. It was the opportunity she had been waiting for and yet P.J. had no idea what to say. Seemed she didn't have to since Brando spoke first.

"Peej, I'm sorry about that first night here," he said too seriously.

"Really?" she checked. "Um, so you're sorry we made out, or you're sorry we got interrupted?"

He looked confused, troubled, like he was worried that picking the wrong answer would make matters worse. Brendan was useless at this kind of thing and scared stiff of ruining everything. Then he remembered that this was P.J. She always forgave him when he screwed up because she understood he never meant any harm. Whatever he said would be fine just so long as it was the truth.

"The second one," he said eventually, leaning closer across the table then. "That was the interruption and not the kissing, right?"

"It was," P.J. agreed, feeling stupidly bashful as she leaned her arm on the corner of the table to get in a little closer too. "So, what does that mean for us, exactly?"

Brendan didn't have an answer to that, he really wished he did, but the proximity of her lips to his own was awfully distracting. She looked beautiful, then again P.J. always did, even in sweat pants with her hair tied back, lounging around the apartment on a Sunday. Most especially when she was fancied up like this, in a dress and heels, sparkling brighter than any jewellery she accessorised with. She was enough to take a man's breath away, and she floored Brendan every single time, even after all these years.

It wasn't planned, he just couldn't help it. He kissed her, and she kissed back, her hand on the back of his head holding him close enough to keep the moment going. Neither of them were thinking about the fact they were out here in public view. After all, this was Italy. No-one here knew them or cared what they did, well, except for one.

"Stephanie," P.J. gasped as she pulled away at last.

"No, Brendan, remember?" her best friend joked.

P.J. rolled her eyes and forced herself to sit back properly in her seat.

"She only went to the bathroom, Bren, she'll be back any second," she told him in a whisper.

"And you don't want her to know that..." he said, waving a hand between them in some vague connecting gesture.

He looked almost sad about it, looking to P.J. like a puppy she just kicked. Poor Brendan, he deserved so much better. He wasn't like the other guys who went out cruising for chicks, he was what you might call a serial monogamist. He wanted a girl he could stay with, settle down with. P.J. wasn't certain she was ready for that for the longest time, and yet, the idea of her and Brendan together forever, raising kids and growing old, that wasn't even a little bit scary. Realising how not scary it was suddenly hit P.J. like a smack in the face, and became completely frightening in a whole new way.

"I, er... I just think that until we have a chance to talk about what we're doing, maybe it's better than we don't involve anybody else," she shrugged.

Brando didn't look happy, not even a little, but was prevented from saying anything about it as Steph appeared again. She looked decidedly worse for wear.

"Ugh, I think there was something wrong with the fish," she said as she slumped down into her seat. "I just had a nasty experience in the ladies room."

P.J. bit her lip and looked sideways at Brendan. He wouldn't meet her eyes. In fact, before she could blink he was up from his seat, tossing his napkin on the table.

"C'mon, Steph," he urged her up and put his arm around her. "I'll help you back to your room and you can sleep off the... fish," he said with a slight smirk, knowing just as well as anyone that it was the wine that was to blame.

He didn't even look back at P.J. as they walked away.

* * *

Kenny looked daggers at Mike, folding his arms across his chest.

"You're an idiot," he snapped.

"Hey, man, what did I do?" his friend look all kinds of affronted.

Unfortunately for Mike, here was no sympathy from the rest of the group all hanging around on the pavement outside of Crowley's bar.

"Sorry, man, but I gotta side with Kenny on this one," said Bobby, literally standing beide him in solidarity. "Sleeping with our waitress and not calling? Very uncool," he shooked his head.

"Where do we go now?" asked Mike pathetically, almost putting his nose against the glass of his beloved bar.

It was his fault they got kicked out for a week and he knew it. That didn't mean he wasn't sad about it.

"I have the emergency key to my sister's place?" said Andy eventually, checking his keychain.

He was about to retract his comment when he suddenly realised he was right, the key was right there between two others that meant nothing.

"You don't think P.J. would feel weird about us being at her place when she's not there?" said Bobby, even as they began heading in the direction of P.J.'s place.

"Who cares?" Mike shrugged easily. "We gotta go somewhere, and she'll never know about it."

"I hate to agree with the idiot that got us banned from our usual hang," Kenny told Bobby, "but he is correct on this occasion."

With that decided the guys headed off to P.J.'s place, vowing not to make any mess or break anything, so that the girl herself would never know they were there. Like that was really going to work out!

* * *

P.J. couldn't sleep. It wasn't just that Stephanie was snoring like a bear with sinisitus, though that wasn't helping. Even in silence, P.J. wouldn't have been able to find any peace when she knew Brando was right down the hall hating her. Maybe hate was too strong a word, but he wasn't happy right now and she knew it. She all but shut him down in the restaurant downstairs and that really wasn't fair. They really needed to have a properly grown up talk about their relationship and it had to be now before it was too late.

Before she had a chance to talk herself out of it, P.J. hopped silently out of bed. She threw on her sweats and sneakers, then crept out into the hallway. Brando's room was only a few doors down. She just had to hope he was awake and that nobody caught her rapping on his door like some stalker freak or a desperate woman looking for a booty call. She felt she got pretty lucky when on the first knock he came to see who was there.

All rumpled and sleepy, Brendan was the cutest guy. Truth be told, he was pretty cute all the time in P.J.'s opinion, though she never really let herself think about it too much if she could help it. Dressed up, he was handsome, and like this he was adorable. He ran the gamut between those two ends of the spectrum, via sexy, on a pretty regular basis, and it was getting harder and harder not to notice lately. That had to mean something.

"Hi," she said awkwardly. "I couldn't sleep."

"Me either," he admitted, moving aside to let her in.

He wasn't thrilled about the way she behaved before, but they couldn't talk in the hall, that would be crazy. The fact she was here had to be a good sign. She made absent comments about his having a really great room, even though it wasn't much more than a smaller version of her own. She ended up sat on the ottoman at the end of the bed and he shifted awkwardly not knowing where to go himself.

"You remember when this was normal?" she asked with a wistful smile. "Back in college, when we couldn't sleep or just didn't want to? I'd come crash in your room or you'd come to mine, and we'd just talk all night about anything and everything, and play poker. It always felt... normal."

"I remember," he agreed, nodding his head. "I loved those nights."

It all felt so intense and strange, but good at the same time.

"Brando, I...I don't know what we're doing here," P.J. confessed at last, standing up and walking over to him. "I mean, downstairs in the restaurant, I honestly never meant to hurt you. This just feels so weird, in a good way, but... but it's you. It's us, y'know? And that makes it pretty scary."

"You think I don't know that, Peej?" asked Brando with wide eyes. "I'm more terrified about this than anybody, but after all this time... The truth is I just can't imagine anybody else in my future, only you," he admitted, putting a hand to her cheek.

It was amazing. He was saying just exactly what she had been thinking. The future was scary all on its own, but Brendan was always there whenever she pictured it and that made it okay. Friends to lovers was supposed to be the best relationship if the transition ran smooth. P.J. wasn't great with guys most of the time, and women just seemed to walk all over Bren given the chance. The two of them always ended up back at the beginning with their arms round each other, maybe fate was trying to tell them something.

P.J. leant into Brendan's touch, moved in one step closer so there was almost no space at all between their bodies anymore. He took the hint and leaned down to kiss her gently. She sighed.

"We can make this work, right?" she asked earnestly. "I mean, all these years, everything we've been through."

He smiled at that.

"We live together, Peej. We talk about everything. There's not much left that boyfriends and girlfriends do that we haven't already done," he shrugged. "Well, except..."

"Uh-huh," she nodded in understanding, feeling as embarrassed as he looked right now.

"But that's totally cool. I mean, no pressure from me, I swear," he told her quickly, just in case she was worried.

Honestly, he felt as terrified about making that leap as she might be. Brendan acted cool most of the time, but honestly, screwing things up with P.J. was terrifying.

"Let's just take it one day at a time, see what happens, okay?" she suggested, letting her arms slide up around his neck.

"That works," he agreed, smiling down at her. "I love you, Penelope Jane Franklin," he told her what she already knew, in whatever context it might have been said before.

"And I love you too, Brendan Dorff," she replied in kind, right before he kissed her again.

Somehow, it just felt right every time.

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 4

All in all, P.J. could not be sorry that she took this trip to Italy. Stephanie had been right to press her into buying the tickets when they were that much cheaper. She had also been right in making P.J. reconsider her decision to come alone. Bringing Brendan along had never meant to end in romance, and yet now it felt like the best decision she hadn't really made! She went to Italy with two best friends, and came back with one best friend and one best friend/boyfriend. That was pretty good going as far as P.J. was concerned.

Not long after take off, Brendan let go of P.J.'s hand that he'd been holding the whole time and excused himself to the bathroom. Stephanie watched her friend watching Brando walk away down the aisle and smiled.

"Well, Italy didn't exactly do much for me, but honey, the smile on your face right now was worth everything I went through with Lance," she declared, getting P.J.'s attention all too easily.

"Steph, I honestly don't know what happened," she giggled, sounding much more girly than she ever usually dared to. "I mean, you know things with me and Bren have always bordered on more than friends, but taking the leap was just so scary, until suddenly... I don't know, it just wasn't."

"Being out of Chicago, away from the normal people and places, it gave you a chance to concentrate on what just the two of you wanted," Stephanie told her sagely. "If you're happy, nobody else's opinion should matter, Peej, but for what it's worth, I think you two are the cutest couple ever."

"Oh, I guess now you're gonna tell me you saw this coming from Day One in college, right?" PJ chuckled.

"No, not Day One," replied Steph, rolling her eyes, "but pretty soon after. That guy has had his eye on you a very long time, P.J., and honestly? Can you really say _you_ haven't just been waiting for this day to roll around?"

P.J. squirmed in her partially reclined seat.

"I don't know, maybe," she admitted with a smile. "I mean, Brendan has just been there for me so many times, we get along so well, and then when he kisses me it's like... I can't even describe," she almost blushed as she tried to put into words things that just couldn't ever properly by verbalised, even by a woman so good with words as she usually was. "It just feels right, like this is how it's supposed to be."

"That's because it _is_ how it's supposed to be, Peej," said Steph, almost tearing up as she reached across the aisle to grab P.J.'s hand and squeeze it.

Brendan returned from the bathroom then, retaking his seat and looking between the two girls with suspicion.

"What?" he asked as they both stared at him with too-big grins on their faces. "Were you just talking about me?"

"Maybe," said Steph with a wicked glint her eye. "But now this girl needs her beauty sleep, so you kids enjoy your alone time before we get home and those boys ruin your fun with their dumb jokes."

She pulled her eye mask down and got comfortable in her seat then, leaving P.J. and Brendan to share a worried look. They really hadn't thought about what the guys would say when they came home as a couple. It was only two days ago that they agreed to give this relationship a try. Bobby, Kenny, Mike, and Andy hadn't really entered into the equation, but they would have opinions. Given the grilling P.J. took over most guys in her romantic life, the fuss everybody made over her make out with Bobby, it could be very messy yet.

"Oh, there are going to be sooo many dirty jokes," said P.J. letting her forehead drop forward onto Brendan's shoulder as if she were going to hide there and cry.

"There really are," he sympathised making a face, even as he put a hand to the back of her head in some type of absent comforting gesture. "Maybe we could _not_ tell them, y'know, just for a couple of days," he suggested, making P.J.'s head shoot up fast to stare at him with wide eyes. "Not that I'm ashamed of us or being weird about it, I swear," he told her quickly. "It's just... It'd be cool to be settled into this thing before we let the guys take their pot-shots, right?"

P.J. considered that for a moment and then nodded.

"Agreed," she said eventually, a smile creeping onto her lips then. "But y'know, the guys aren't here on the plane..."

Brendan caught on long before she finished that thought and pulled her in closer for a good long kiss. They hadn't got much further than this even in Italy. Making out was one thing but the leap into the serious unknown that was sex together, that wasn't something they were quite ready for yet. It was weird how jumping into bed with a stranger seemed so simple, and yet taking that particular step with your best friend seemed so much more complicated. It'd happen one day, when they both felt ready, for now, this was good. Oh so very good.

* * *

The guys were all ecstatic when their travelling friends arrived back at the apartment. Andy had picked them up from the airport quite unexpectedly, dropped Steph at her place, and then brought P.J. and Brando to the apartment they called home. Bobby, Kenny, and Mike were all there to greet them with a banner that looked like sugar-high nine year olds painted it, and hugs that went on almost a little too long, particularly when Kenny got a hold of Brendan.

"Geez, man, we were only gone ten days," he said, extracting himself from his buddy's grip at last.

"What? I missed you. Both of you," Kenny replied, moving to hug P.J. some more for good measure.

"That's... sweet, I guess," she laughed, hugging him back, right up until she realised something was wrong here. "Okay, what's different?" she asked seriously, moving to walk through the living area and stick her head into the kitchen too. "Something is wrong here."

Mike was grinning in such an over the top way and even Bobby was looking shifty. Things that P.J. kept in her apartment tended to stay where she put them but stuff had definitely moved recently. Just a little here and there but she knew it was different somehow.

"Oh my God, what did you guys break?" she asked, eyes scanning the group.

Brando wondered how she could even tell something as wrong, though the guys did look a little shifty, truth be told.

"P.J. I am shocked that you think we would..." Mike began, until her stern expression caused him to crumble. "Two plates," he replied sullenly, eyes to the ground.

"And a vase," Kenny added sadly.

"Plus your toilet got a little blocked one time," said Bobby, shifting his feet back and forth, "but we fixed that."

"Welcome home, sis," Andy added with evident sarcasm as he dropped a hand onto her shoulder. "Isn't it great to be back?"

She looked from him to Brendan and saw the smile on his face. He found it all amusing enough, and honestly, she could see the funny side too. She didn't remember owning a vase or even plates that held particular value, monetary or sentimental, so none of this really mattered.

"I guess it could be worse," she said at last, finding a smile. "Why were you even here breaking stuff when I was away?" she asked anyway, curiosity getting the best of her.

"We got kicked out of Crowley's," Kenny admitted. "It was Mike's fault," he added, pointing directly at his friend.

"This is why you shouldn't leave us!" the red-head retorted, as Bobby tried not to laugh.

It really was ridiculous how the group just didn't work in quite the same way with two of their number missing. P.J. in particular seemed to be the glue that held these guys together. Her and Brando being away really upset that balance, and as far as he could tell it was a very good thing they were back again now.

The strangest part was that they came back the same way they left, as friends. Honestly, Bobby had half expected for them to walk in hand-in-hand declaring their relationship had gone through some changes these past ten days and that they were now a couple. Andy had seemed to expect the same thing, and yet it hadn't happened. Maybe both their instincts were off after all.

P.J. yawned and Kenny was the first to notice, saying maybe they should all leave and let Peej and Brando sleep off the jet-lag. Both seemed grateful for the suggestion, and everybody shared further hugs, high-fives and the like as they parted ways. They were all muttering about where they would go now they were being kicked out of their other favourite hang, but P.J. couldn't care right now. Tomorrow she would get the full story on what happened at Crowley's, and she would fix it just like always. Right now, she was kind of liking the idea of sleep. She wasn't hating the part before that where she was alone with Brendan either.

"Well, it is good to be home," she said, turning to face him in the now empty space behind the couch.

"It's good to be home _alone_," he replied, quirking an eyebrow as he came closer and put his hands to her waist.

"Hmm, really?" asked P.J. playfully. "Now, why would that be again?"

Brendan never answered her, just pulled her body tight to his and kissed her hungrily. Her arms came up around his neck, fingers tangling in his hair as the moment went on. They had no particular plan of where this was going, if it would go any further than the last time or whatever. Right now they were just enjoying the moment for as long as it lasted. That time was soon defined for them by the door opening of its own accord, Mike yelling about not seeing why he should leave the beer behind when he paid for it. He came barrelling into the apartment, stopping sharply at the sight of PJ and Brendan in each others arms. It was like a comedy sketch when Kenny, Bobby, and Andy all slammed into the back of each other behind Mike when he stopped without warning. Four pairs of eyes peered at the couple as if they were aliens, but neither P.J. nor Brandon flinched.

"I think we're busted," he said, still holding his girlfriend close.

"Oh yeah," P.J. replied softly before giving her full attention to her friends. "Er, guys? We have something to tell you..."

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

_**(for disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 5

Mike, Kenny, and Bobby were sat along the couch, looking similar to the monkeys that see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil, at least that was what P.J. thought as she faced them. Andy had retreated to the kitchen just as soon as he realised how close he came to bearing witness to his sister making out - that wasn't right and he needed scotch to cope with it.

Though P.J. had said she had something to tell the guys, and it ought to be pretty obvious what that something was, she still hadn't actually said it yet. She and Brendan just stood in front of her friends, shifting awkwardly. They wanted to hold onto each other in solidarity, and at the same time didn't want to be any closer in front of the group until they explained themselves.

"So, guys," she said eventually. "I took Brendan to Italy with me and..."

"And suddenly you two are, like, _lovers_?" asked Mike in some creepy voice that made P.J. want to throw up, or maybe that was just the panic over the changes they were making here.

"Dude, seriously!" Brendan exclaimed. "Not cool."

"Yeah, Mike," Kenny snapped at him, like the same question hadn't been in his mind. "You don't ask people stuff like that, especially not P.J. and Brendan."

"Thank you, Kenny," said P.J. then, looking a little surprised at his attitude.

Of course, when she turned and looked at him properly she realised he was just trying not to be the douche here. He wanted to ask questions too, they all did. It was a big deal for them, as it was for P.J. and Brendan, she knew that. This relationship that they were transitioning from best friends to more, it affected the whole group dynamic.

"C'mon, Peej, we gotta cut 'em a break," her new boyfriend told her then. "They're dying here."

"Okay, fine!" she huffed like it was a big deal. "So, me and Brendan are a couple now. We'll still be living together and hanging out at Crowley's with you guys, we'll just be... closer."

"And not seeing other people anymore," he added, the two of them suddenly only having eyes for each other and smiling like it was gong out of style.

Andy had chosen that particular moment to venture back into the living room. He turned around and went straight back into the kitchen when he realised his bad timing.

"Now, you each get one question, and only one," P.J. told Bobby, Mike, and Kenny then. "And after that, you have to act like normal people around us and not make all your dirty comments and jokes. As much as I love you guys, this is _our_ relationship," she gestured between herself and Brendan. "We're not sharing it all with you."

"One question each?" Kenny checked he had that right, and off P.J.'s nod sat and carefully thought about what that question should be.

"I got mine," Mike raised his hand as if he was in class. "So, after all this time living together and pretending like you were just friends, how long have you guys actually been...?" he asked, the sentence ending with some disturbing figure gestures and whistling that could only mean one thing.

"Mike!" P.J. gasped. "We have not been doing that!" she smacked him in the shoulder for even suggesting it. "When we said we were just friends we really were. This only started a few days ago. I mean, _really_, _officially_ started," she said, looking sideways at Brendan.

They both knew in some way this change in their relationship had been on the cards from the start, especially after last year with the re-enactment of their college make-out. They loved each other, they were attracted to each other, and they got along better with each other than anyone else in their whole lives. It made sense to move it to the next level eventually, it had just taken a long time to finally get there.

"Really?" Mike scoffed. "Meh, I still think you guys were boinking before," he muttered, diving off the couch and away to the kitchen before P.J. could get another swing at him.

"Next question," said Brando, looking between the remaining two on the couch, thinking nothing could be as embarrassing as whatever came out of Mike's mouth.

"Okay, I'll go" replied Kenny, shifting forward in his seat and looking up at his friends. "Does P.J. kiss on the first date? No! Are her feet as soft as they look? No!"

"Goodbye, Kenny!" said P.J. herself then, lifting him up from the seat by one arm and shoving him after Mike, as Brendan tried not to laugh.

That just left Bobby.

"What? No questions here?" asked P.J. nervously.

She was actually more worried about what Bobby would think of her being with Brendan than she was of Mike and Kenny's inappropriate comments. She had been closer to him once. They made out the first night they played poker together, and that one night in a hotel they had gone all the way. P.J. knew that was a while ago and that they were definitely in a friends only place now, but that didn't mean she was completely confident Bobby wouldn't say something in front of Brendan that she'd rather not get into today.

"Hey, it's not up to me to question your relationship," said Bobby at last, clapping his hands together as he got up from the couch. "I did kind of wonder if this would happen eventually," he admitted, waving a hand between his two friends, looking mostly at P.J. even when she ducked her head and tried to evade his gaze. "And I know it maybe seems weird that I can be this okay with things when we were... when things happened," he said to P.J. before looking across at Brendan instead. "Man, you gotta know, I would not wanna come between the two of you. Seriously, I'm not gonna deny, you got yourself a very hot, very smart woman that any guy would be lucky to have," he told Brando, alongside some kind of high-five handshake. "But P.J. and you, it's like Andy said, it's kismet," he shrugged as he walked away.

Brendan looked from his friend to his new girlfriend with a grin. Of course he knew what happened with P.J. and Bobby. She told him one night when they got a little drunk together, no details because that would be too much, but he knew they had a one night stand. It didn't matter to Brando. He'd had enough women in his life and in his bed, the same as P.J. had her share of men. The fact was they just mattered more to each other than any other person ever could, whether they had dated them or not.

"Oh, actually, I do kinda have one question, if that's okay?" asked Bobby so suddenly he made both his friends jump as he turned back on his way to the kitchen. "When you went on this trip to Italy, was coming back as a couple planned?"

Both P.J. and Brando opened their mouths to answer and yet no sound came out. They looked at Bobby and then at each other. The truth was they could both deny it. P.J. asked Brando to come along on her trip because he was her best friend and he agreed for the same reason, plus obviously the free vacation. Still, neither could truly deny the fact that deep down inside, they had considered what might happen in such a romantic country.

"Yeah," Bobby smiled genuinely. "That's what I thought," he said as he finally walked away for real.

"He's a smart guy," said Brendan, pointing a finger in the direction of his friend.

"Smarter than us apparently," P.J. agreed, moving close to her new boyfriend. "We got there eventually though, right? And I personally think it was worth the wait."

"Agreed," he nodded once, moving in to kiss her.

Brendan stopped short of making contact with P.J.'s lips when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He looked back to see Andy standing there, scotch in hand, and the most solemn expression on his face that Brando had ever seen.

"Brendan," he said seriously. "I know you and me usually tag team this talk, but since you're the guy on the receiving end now, it falls to me alone," he told him, as P.J. looked on with wide-eyes. "If you hurt my sister... well, I doubt it's gonna happen, but if it does..." he started again, pointing a finger in the younger man's face. "I still have friends in the 'burbs, with very large back yards. Nobody would ever find you."

"Andy!" P.J. gasped at her brother and socked him in the shoulder for his trouble.

"What?" he asked, looking as surprised as she felt. "You don't think I say this to all your serious boyfriends?"

"And when he didn't, I did," Brendan confirmed with a grin. "Only I'm not afraid of the threats, not because I think they're not very real," he told Andy, hands in the air in some kind of mock surrender. "Just because I know that I'm never, _ever_ gonna mess up, not with P.J."

"I know you won't," she smiled up at him, as girly and demure as she had ever been.

They hugged and moved in to kiss when the couple suddenly realised they were being stared at by all four other guys in the room. As much as it was cool that they weren't making inappropriate comments anymore, P.J. was not going to make out in front of them, especially not with Brendan. That would be way too weird.

"Okay, who wants to go to Crowley's?" she asked in general.

A cheer went up and Brendan laughed, whilst P.J. excused herself to the bathroom a moment. As she left she heard the guys discussing how and why they came to be thrown out of the bar in the first place. She could fix this, of course she could, just like she always fixed every problem her boys ran into. Just because she was dating Brendan now, she couldn't see that changing. He was still as much her best friend as he was her boyfriend, and the other guys still mattered to her just the same as they always had before. Nothing would really change, expect she would be even happier than ever. Life was good.

* * *

"I hope this works," said P.J. as she walked into Crowley's, her hand clasped in Brendan's own. "I mean, Teri's a reasonable person, but being used by Mike for a one night stand? She's not gonna take that well."

"Obviously, since she banned all the guys from the bar!" her boyfriend agreed. "But if anyone can fix this, Peej, it's you," he promised her, planting a kiss on her temple.

She smiled at the sweet gesture and his complete faith in her, then hurried over to the bar when she spotted Teri there. P.J. dragged Brendan behind her and was soon in animated conversation with the waitress about their vacation as well as their new relationship. Teri seemed genuinely thrilled for the pair of friends turned lovers. Of course, then came the topic of Mike and her face immediately fell.

"I know what he did was wrong," said P.J. sympathetically. "But y'know, it's Mike. He doesn't think, and honestly, would you really want him to have called you? To have persued a relationship?"

"Seriously, Teri, I love Mike to death, but you could do way better than that," said Brando, gesturing towards the window.

There was Mike, flanked by Kenny and Bobby, with his nose pressed comically against the glass. It was not pretty, or even that funny, but Teri laughed.

"You're right. I know you're right," she sighed eventually. "I can do _so_ much better" she agreed.

"So, the guys can come back?" asked P.J. hopefully, glad when the response was positive.

"Yeah, they can come back," Teri agreed. "And the first round is on me... for everyone but Mike," she told them, much to both P.J. and Brendan's surprise. "To celebrate this new-found coupledom you guys have found. Personally, I think it's great," she grinned as she walked away to fetch a pitcher of beer.

"It is great, isn't it?" Brendan agreed, sliding his arms around P.J. from behind.

"I think so," she agreed, leaning into his embrace. "But y'know, we should really go tell the guys they can come inside. Look how pathetic they are out there," she said, gesturing with her head towards the window.

Brendan let her go then and watched her walk all the way to the door to fetch the guys into the bar where they were now welcome. It was good to be home, but Brando had never been more glad that he took a trip anywhere than he was right now. Italy was so cool, all the sights and the culture, but better than all that, the time away had finally allowed him and P.J. to realise their true feelings and admit them too. They had transitioned into a new phase in their relationship, and it felt really good.

The End


End file.
